


Seeking Truth

by BluebutActuallyGrey



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Altered Mental States, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Government Conspiracy, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Propaganda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2018-04-29 16:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5134664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluebutActuallyGrey/pseuds/BluebutActuallyGrey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Optimus starts noticing something going on with the history tapes on the Great War, he decides to go to a bot that lived it. Instead of getting simple answers, he uncovers something that will either destroy him, or reshape him and all of Cybertron.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Down the Rabbit Hole.

**Author's Note:**

> So I went and watched TFA finally. Now that I have, this bunny gave me a headache until I wrote some of it down. This is my first fic in a very long while, and I can already tell it's going to be a monster. Buckle up, because this is going to be a wild ride. Thank you onigil, veinn_peridot and Beta narcissistic-sociopath for helping me get this off the ground. It's short, but hopefully I will be able to post longer chapters the more I work on this.
> 
> This chapter is also affectionately known as 'Optimus is an introspective jerk and wouldn't let me do anything until he got his way'.

_‘When the invaders first landed upon our blessed Cybertron, we were woefully unprepared. Were it not for the brave mechs and femmes that were willing to stand up to the rebels, who knows what may have happened to the Autobot Empire! And now, that is where you come in. It is your turn to be one of the bots who hold the lines in the great Autobot army. To be a cog in the Great Machine! The Magnus has called, and he is calling for you! Will you answer?? Or-’_

“End program.” Optimus vented a sigh, rubbing his helm in confusion. Invaders or rebels? Why were they always one or the other? It wasn’t making sense. How had they been invaded? To rebel meant that the Deceptions had lived under Autobot rule. That there had been a time where they had lived in peace. If that was the case, it could mean that they rebelled and invaded their brethren, but for what?

Now that the war was over Optimus had taken to watching the old vids again. And what he was learning… baffled him.

Some texts argued that the cons were an invading force. Others, that they were simply rebels. They came by ships, but knew the tunnels as though they had always lived there. Granted, a spy would have helped with that, but not to this level. No. There was something going on with their history, and he would find out what.

Optimus chuckled lowly, shaking his helm slowly. Yes, he really had learned something after all. Both from Earth and Prowl, Primus rest his spark.

Yes, he really had learned something after all from the ninja, Primus rest his spark. He could almost hear him speaking now, about how ‘A bot is but a seed. Feed the seed well, for an uprooted tree does not often live.’ It was almost as if Prowl was telling him to go and find the truth. Optimus sighed as another Earth saying came to mind; ’History is written from the winners eyes. You want the truth? You gotta talk to the ones that did the losing, and the ones simply trying to survive’. To follow these sayings in his search...

They would not be easy tasks. In fact, both would prove extremely difficult. Magnus was down and the Council reluctant to give over control. Dark things lived beneath Cybertron's surface. But perhaps, just perhaps, that’s where he should begin. Begin at the end and work forward from there.

And if it’s Dead End Rodion, well, he best be prepared.

_::Hey Ratchet? Still at that clinic in Dead End?::_ Optimus twisted his frame, rumbling faintly as kinked cables stretched and unwound. Hopefully Ratchet wasn’t too busy with all the repairs the mechs in the Dead End were sure to require.

It took only a klik for the mech to respond, but his words were sharp and gruff. : _:Yes I am, and I likely will be for some time. Even the idiots down here are celebrating your brilliant capture of Megatron.::_

Was that a hint of sarcasm in Ratchet’s words? It wasn’t like he hadn’t come from that fight unscathed! In fact, he was fairly certain that he had nearly died in the encounter.

He still wasn’t sure how he had survived, but survived he had.

_::As much as I would love to celebrate with them, there’s something I need to speak with you about. Can I come down?::_ If Optimus was refused, he wasn’t sure what to do. He was well aware that he lived within a cityformer that reported to the Council and current Magnus. He did not want Sentinel to know about this. He was taking a risk talking to Ratchet as it was.

_::Come on down, but be careful! I am not fixing you if you get attacked by the party mechs hanging around outside.::_ An idle threat, and they both knew it. It was simply a reflex for the mech to say such things.

_::I’ll be there within 20 minutes Ratchet. Thank you.::_ He ignored the acknowledging grunt, instead removing himself from his desk. The room he had been given was larger than his Academy quarters had been, but not by much.

The desk was still shoved under a window that overlooked the city. The berth crunched on the wall opposite the desk, only a few paces away. The washracks were in a hidden alcove that looked like a hallway at first glance. The only added space was the small Energon preparation area and small sitting area that one first saw when entering the quarters. And by small, he meant small.

Optimus sighed, pushing aside one of the chairs he had managed to fit into his room as he made his way outside. He couldn’t wait to be back on Earth. There he only had to worry about tripping over the humans. Then again, going back would mean walking past a room occupied only by a tree and a family of birds.

Just thinking of that empty room caused his spark to clench in pain. All of his bots felt the pain Prowl’s passing brought, but it had been a surprise that Bumblebee had been effected the most. Optimus had known that Prowl had been subtly teaching Bee, but going by how the young mech had always rebelled against any instruction the mech had tried to give him. Well, Optimus had always thought the yellow bot had merely tolerated the ninja.

Optimus shook his helm, releasing himself from his musings. It wouldn’t do to think about the past right now. He had somewhere to be, and Ratchet was not a mech to keep waiting. Optimus nodded at the mechs he passed, dodging servos and not so sober mecha. It wasn’t much better when he finally exited the city-former.

The streets were crowded with mechs, despite the fact that Megatron had been captured days ago. Engex was flowing, the Elite Guard was spread thin keeping the peace and still bots were walking the roads. It was irritating, but Optimus still transformed and carefully made his way toward Dead End.

He wasn’t able to drive the whole way though. The closer he got to Rodion, the more crowded the roads became. Not surprisingly, there were very few Elite Guard here as well. The Guard only came to this part of Cybertron if there was no other option. The mechs that lived here were desperate, giving themselves away just to get a few credits. The few that were unable to achieve this ended up with Energon on their servos, and a greying frame in some shadowed corner.

Even as he transformed he could hear mecha calling to him. They begged Optimus for credits, offering services or boosters in return. It made the energon in Optimus’ tanks churn. This was wrong. While he had known this place existed, he had thought that the stories about desperate mecha were exaggerated.

How wrong he was.

Several bots even threw themselves at him, colors dull and optics bright with desperation. All he could do was give them the handful of credits he had had on him, and a couple rations of Energon.

They never got to drink the Energon. They had only just opened the ration before it was snatched away, desperate mecha shrieking in need as they fought for the precious fuel or credits. It was more than Optimus could handle. He shoved his way through the crowd, barely managing to not only find the clinic, but also to get inside and close the door behind him.

Optimus couldn’t help the shudder that ran through his frame, a servo resting on the glass of the door in front of them. He could still see them fighting, just out of reach. Why? Why did a place like this exist on Cybertron? This wasn’t what he had fought for. This wasn’t why he had wanted to join the Guard.

“You never should have done that kid. Now that they know you’re a soft spark, you won’t be left alone.”

The voice made Optimus whirl, optics wide as he took in the tired visage of the medic. It looked as though he hadn’t had a decent recharge in orns, let alone a wash. Was that energon he was wiping off his servos? “Ratchet, I can’t just leave them like this! Look at them! They’re starving out there, and you’re telling me to just keep my helm down and leave them be?”

Ratchet tossed the rag aside, fixing Optimus with a stern look. “That is exactly what I am telling you. You’re not going to be able to fix all of this yourself, and you won’t be able to get the support you would need to help out in the first place. To many mechs, not enough energon to go around.”

Ratchet sighed, rubbing at his spinal strut as he straightened. “But I don’t think that you came down here for a lecture on Dead End etiquette. What did you want?”

Optimus growled, but let the subject drop. It was something that he could come back to later, if he needed to. “You’re right, that wasn’t why I came by, but you’re not going to like the reason why I came any more than what I just did.”

When he looked back at Ratchet, he could already see the mech connecting the dots and preparing to refuse. Pity Optimus wasn’t going to give him the chance. “Ratchet, I know there’s something going on with the history files and I want to know what. So I’m going to ask you some questions and you are going to answer them. I’m not taking no as an answer this time.”

Ratchet gave the Prime a furious look, clenching his servos and grinding his denta. Finally, he sighed, leaning back against a berth and crossing his arms. “Fine, but don’t say I haven’t warned ya kid.” Ratchet huffed, narrowing his gaze on the Prime before him. “Now what do you want to know?”

 


	2. Suspicions

That was the million credit question, now wasn’t it? Optimus moved away from the door, hoping to gather his thoughts as he moved. “Honestly? There’s a lot that I want to know. How did the war start? Why are they called rebels, and later called invaders in the same file? I just don’t understand how it all began.”  


Ratchet growled, frame tensing at the bombardment. Kid didn’t hardly take a breath, and he still had more questions in his processor. “They were part of the Autobot Empire and rebelled against us. They ended up invading our colonies when they had the chance, and quickly gained the upper hand. You know that.”  


Optimus groaned, shaking his helm. “That doesn’t even explain anything. That doesn’t explain why they rebelled against the Council or killed innocent mecha from the colonies.”  


“They rebelled and that’s all you, and every mech else, need to know! The specifics aren’t important, only the fact that they killed millions in what they did!” Ratchet was practically snarling now, hunching his shoulders and turning his helm away.  


“It is important Ratchet. Every fact is important to know so that we don’t have a repeat of it later.” Optimus rubbed his forehelm, annoyed that Ratchet was avoiding the question. If he didn’t know, the medic could have just said so!  


“Fine. If you don’t know, we will just skip that part.” Optimus lowered his servo, somewhat annoyed that he hadn’t been able to get a straight answer. “Why did the Seekers align with the Cons? It doesn’t make sense. There’s a lot of domestic information about Seekers, but how could we know about this if there’s never been an Autobot seeker?”  


Ratchet rolled his optics, quickly becoming annoyed with the curious mech. “Probably from our intel bots. You know they go into con territory, so one of them must have gone Seeker watching. There were a lot more than what you had to face. Seekers tended to make up a third of the bots we had to face at any given time. Many were taken out by Omega and his Ilk.”  


Optimus frowned, tapping the berth he was leaning on. Still didn’t make much sense, but it was plausible. “Still doesn’t explain much about the why, but better than nothing.”  


He vented, frustrated with Ratchet’s dancing around. Normally the mech was brutal with his honesty. “Who did you serve with? I know you worked with Magnus, Omega and Arcee, but we don’t know who else you got to work with. Are any of them still alive?”  


Ratchet chuckled, smirking at the younger bot. This, he had no problem answering. “I worked with a lot of bots kid. Being a field medic back then put you in high demand.” Ratchet hummed softly, shuttering his optics and lowering his helm. “The bots I worked with the most would be easiest to list, but I guess you can say that I worked with all the bots that enlisted in the war. Mainly, though, there was a mech named Smokescreen and his brother Bluestreak. Smokes went on to be a Master ninja and shrink, while Blue was mainly a sniper. Went on to continue that in the Guard until he was taken out in an explosion. I could have sworn there was a third brother, but he’s a little fuzzy... Was a tactician I think. Brilliant mech though. Wish I could remember more about him.  


“Let’s see, there was a trainee medic that I helped out for a while. Mech named First Aid. Had a lot of brothers and they all did different things. Wheeljack and Perceptor are still around. They work in the Science Corps. Magnus of course. There was also a mech that looked a lot like you. Frag, the mech practically could have been you. He’s a lot like the other mech though in the fact that I can’t remember him hardly at all.” Ratchet frowned, servo cupping his chin in thought. “You know, I almost remember him giving the Magnus orders. Can you believe that?”  


No, no he couldn’t. Optimus hummed in thought, curious about the mechs that Ratchet couldn’t seem to remember. How could he remember the others so clearly, but not those two? “Really? You can’t remember anything about them? Nothing at all?”  


Ratchet shook his helm, shrugging after a moment. “Nope! It’s most likely a corruption in the memory files. I hate to say it, but I’m not as young as I like to think I am.”  


Optimus did not like the sound of that. Ratchet remembered so much. Why was it focused on those two though? “I hate to disagree, but you remember, in detail, getting Arcee and teaming up with Omega. I find it hard to believe that you would simply forget those two. Not to mention you can’t give me a straight answers for my earlier questions. Unless you were simply avoiding them?”  


Ratchet was going to protest, but paused. Optimus did have a point. He remembered many of the faces of those he had worked on, but it was the little things. Mechs and femmes that just seemed to be a blur, missions that just didn’t seem to add up. “Perhaps you’re right, but I don’t know what else would cause this.”  


Optimus shrugged, unsure what to say to the older mech. “It may be nothing. Maybe you saw something classified and the Council put a block in place to protect whatever it was?”  


“It is possible.” Though unlikely. Ratchet had been privileged with classified information before, and it had not been erased. So why would this? It made no sense.  


Unless it was something that was supposed to be erased.  


Ratchet shuddered, servos dropping as he recited a poem taught to all protoformed mecha. “ _‘Needles needles everywhere, you’ll be fine in our care. A poke and flick will do the trick, to cure all those who are sick.’_ ”  


“ _‘So voice your doubt if you dare, and you’ll find yourself under our stare. There no place to hide that we can’t find, for soon we will control your mind.’_ What does that have to do anything? It’s just something used to scare new mechs into behaving. Something Sentinel came up with, I’m sure. Fear campaigns seem to be his thing after all.” Optimus lowered his optics, glaring a hole into the ground. He was still upset with everything that Sentinel had done during his tenure as Magnus.  


“Optimus, the thing has been around longer than Sentinel has been online. It was used back in the War, and some rescued prisoners said even the ‘cons knew it. That they’d had a recording of it that came on randomly, the sound crackling but quiet.” Ratchet shook his helm, venting slowly and rubbing his face. “Look, nothing is for sure. It could just be a glitch in the history files. There’s no reason for us to panic.”  


Optimus huffed through his vents, digits twitching in agitation. He didn’t think that it was just a simple glitch or mistake, but Ratchet was right. There was no other evidence that something was wrong. “Perhaps, but I still think we should look into this. We would have to be discreet though.”  


Ratchet snorted, giving the Prime a bland look. “No kidding kid. The Council seems to know everything, so I do not doubt they will have bots watching us. Speaking of, don’t come down here again. Ahp! Listen to me.” Ratchet glared at the other meh, raising a digit in a bid for the mechs silence. “You’re the kind of mech that doesn’t come down here. The Council is going to think you came down to visit me and were horrified by what you saw. They think you won’t come back, and us meeting constantly in private will make them think that we are plotting something. If you find something, and I mean something big, then we can meet again. Got it kid?”  


Optimus nodded, knowing that Ratchet had a point. He just hoped he could find the evidence that Ratchet wanted. “Fine. If I find something big, I’ll contact you again. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t get together with the others though. It would be even more suspicious if we all stopped getting together suddenly. We haven’t been back long enough for our duties to keep us apart.”  


Ratchet nodded, moving from the berth. “Yeah yeah I see your point, now get! These bots need my help more than you do right now. You know my comm if you find anything.”  


“I do. I’ll be seeing you again soon Ratchet.” Optimus chuckled, not at all offended by the treatment. He was used to it by now. He left without another word, quickly making his way out of Dead End. No use being here. He couldn’t help them any more than he could help himself right now.  


Ratchet had given him so much to think about, though much of what had been said only led to more questions. He pushed his way through the throng of desperate mechs, trying to ignore the begging and the barely there wails of the used. He transformed and headed out the moment he could, trying to ignore the feeling of mecha grabbing his plating and their voices in his audios. He knew something had changed when he had gone there. Something in him had changed. For them, he would risk everything. He had to get home, and find something, anything, to point him in the direction he needed to go. He couldn’t help but feel that he had stumbled onto something big, and he needed to find out just what he had gotten himself into. For Cybertron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... So i've had this written since 2015, but didn't feel right posting it. I still don't. I'm not sure what it is, but I feel like something is missing, but 3 years is a long ass time, so i had to post it for you guys. This isn't dead, I'm actually going to finish this one. Something I have not done on a fic ever. I don't know how long it's going to take, and there may be times where it does take a long ass time to figure things out, but I'm doing this. Constructive Criticism is always welcome. Seriously, I need all the help I can get. I have a tentative timeline that i found and have written out, but there's pieces missing on the how to get there and stuff. I know where i want this to go, I'm just stuck on how to get there, and I promise I'm working on it. Thank you guys so much for your patience.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Belated Oni!


End file.
